Sorcerer Stabber Shinigami Part 5
It was about noon before Duo finally made it back to the inn. His entire body ached from the frenzied run and the wound on his head had reopened so blood moved down the side of his body. By the time he got to the inn he was practically running on autopilot, just moving and not caring where. All he could think about was Heero and how he'd locked him away. How he was responsible for everything and the look on Heero's face when the seal had been put in place. And the kiss. The kiss still tingled on his lips.
It took all his strength of will to not turn around and go back to Heero.
When he reached the inn he stepped in through the doors and immediately crashed to the ground, his mind refusing to work anymore. He fell, taking a table and a chair with him, and hit the floor, going unconscious from exhaustion.
At the noise the only person in the room looked up, Quatre's father.
"Can I help- stars! Quatre!" He immediately dropped his rag and raced to the bottom of the stairs. "Quatre!"
The blond came racing down the stairs a few moments later, his loose night robe barely closed around his body. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and blinked. "Master?!"
"Help me get him to a bed, he's bleeding something fierce."
Quatre nodded and helped his father move Duo up the stairs to the room which had become his. They laid him in the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin and Quatre's father cleaned and bandaged the cut on his head while Quatre started a fire.
"Is he ok?" Quatre asked, twisting the edges of his night robe between his hands.
Quatre's father nodded. "He just looks like a tired traveler. I'd wager he'll be awake soon and walking around in no time. But that wound on his head looks pretty nasty so I could be wrong." Quatre's father stood up and frowned. "Take care of him Quatre, I'll handle the inn for today."
Quatre smiled. "Thanks."
His father nodded and left, leaving Quatre alone in the room with the sleeping sorcerer. The blond boy grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to Duo's bed and sat down, watching him sleep quietly. He'd seen the wound on Duo's head and knew it was pretty bad, not to mention that he'd seen the beating Duo took from the dragon the night before. Truth be told he was quite afraid that the sorcerer wouldn't wake up after a fight like that and finally decided he had to do something. Or at least try to.
Quatre closed his eyes and drew his chosen symbol in the air, drawing the power toward him. Reaching forward slowly he laid his fingers on Duo's forehead and opened his eyes, concentrating on letting the energy move over Duo's body in light, soothing waves. He had no idea if it would work, Duo had never taught him how to heal anyone, but he figured it was worth a try. The energy moved slowly over Duo's body, pooling near his cut and bruises, collecting there and shimmering.
Duo jerked once and hissed in pain, causing Quatre's eyes to widen in fear. But then the sorcerer's body relaxed and the energy faded into him, leaving only a dull green light which pulsating in time to his heart beat in the wounded places. Quatre swallowed and waited as he watched the bruises fade to normal colored skin. Eventually the power melted away leaving Duo simply just lying there. His expression was more relaxed though, as was his body.
Reaching forward Quatre carefully unwrapped the bandage around Duo's head, seeking to see what was underneath. When he had completely unwrapped it his eyes widened. The cut was gone! In its place was completely mended skin that showed no sign of ever having been cut or bleeding.
"Quatre?"
Quatre blinked in surprise to see Duo's eyes were open and the sorcerer gave a great yawn, pulling the blankets closer around him. His violet eyes moved around the room in confusion.
"You're awake," Quatre said with a smile. "You stumbled into the inn about an hour ago and lost consciousness."
Duo lifted his hand and tentatively reached for the wound on his forehead, only to find the skin completely mended. He sat up and looked at Quatre with one of the strangest expressions. "Learning new tricks I see? Just how did you manage to heal me?"
Quatre shrugged. "I don't know, I just tried it. Something in the back of my mind said it might work."
"Yeah, well it worked, perfectly." Duo looked over the rest of his body and grinned as he found there wasn't a single bruise or scratch anywhere. In fact this was the most energized he'd felt in a long time. Standing up from the bed he stretched and gave another yawn, grinning widely. "Dang Quatre, you should start up a business. I feel like I could run a marathon."
Quatre giggled.
Suddenly the door to the room flew open, Hilde racing in with a look of worry. Her eyes immediately locked on Duo and widened. "You're ok!"
Duo chuckled. "And why wouldn't I be? Oh please, tell me you guys had a higher view of me then that! A sorcerer from the Tower of Fang doesn't die that easily."
"So what happened to you? The last we saw you were getting your butt kicked and were taken by the dragon. Did you beat him? What really cool spell did you use?"
Duo frowned slightly. "Well, not exactly."
"What happened?" Quatre asked quietly. "Was it your friend?"
Duo's frown deepened and he sat back down on the bed, dropping his head so his eyes were shaded by his bangs. "Yeah, it was Heero," he replied softly. Closing his eyes he drew in a deep breath, clearly remembering the look on Heero's face as the binding wall grew up around him in the cave. Duo clenched his fists and pushed the images away.
Hilde stepped forward and placed a hand on Duo's shoulder, causing the sorcerer to look up in surprise. She smiled lightly.
"He was cursed right? It's just a spell right?"
Violet eyes flickered to Quatre, who was now leaning back in his chair thinking. Duo nodded slowly. "Why? What's going on in that head of yours?"
"Well, can't spells be reversed?"
Duo nodded. "All spells have a counter spell, it's just a matter of finding it. But this is more complicated, I have to find the counter spell when I don't even know what spell was used on him in the first place, which makes it even harder."
"But..." Quatre frowned and glanced up at Hilde. "Where do they keep the spells in the Tower of Fang? I mean, how do people keep them?"
Hilde's eyes widened slightly as did Duo's. "You're talking about spell books aren't you, Quatre?" The female warrior asked.
The blond nodded.
Duo chuckled softly. "That's it, we really should switch positions here. First you heal me without any instruction, and now you come up with the answer that should have been so obvious... I feel like I should be your apprentice!"
Red flushed across Quatre's cheeks and he quickly looked away.
Duo directed his attention to Hilde, recognizing Quatre's embarrassment. "Is there a place in town with various books?"
Hilde nodded and grinned. "The Scribes' Shop. The owner, Wufei, is a collector of lots of rare books and written things. If you're going to find a spell book anywhere, that's where you'd have to look."
Jumping out of the bed Duo grinned happily. "Thanks for the advice guys, I'm gonna go check out that shop."
Quatre looked up and watched the sorcerer race out of the room and down the stairs. "He wasn't kidding about being able to run a marathon," he murmured.
"Think we should go help him look?" Hilde asked, fingering the hilt of her sword.
Quatre shook his head. "We wouldn't know what to look for, we'd only add to his current frustration. I'm going to go help my father downstairs and listen around, maybe someone will mention something at one of the tables that will help us."
"Not a bad idea. Think I'll join you."
~*~
Dark blue eyes moved around the room as the tall man stepped inside. He immediately wrinkled his nose at the putrid smell. Filthy humans, humans who didn't bother to bath and keep themselves as clean as a sorcerer of good taste would. It was a wonder that he could even walk into the town, much less bring himself to enter one of their unsanitary buildings. Given the choice he would have raced right back to the Tower, content to sit in his office and instruct his students, this filthy and disgusting human town wasn't worth his time, normally. However today things were different, today he had business with them.
As soon as he entered the inn he noticed the young blond boy behind the counter raise his head and they locked eyes. Quatre's eyes narrowed just the slightest as he spotted the amulet around the man's neck and the man smiled, yes, this was the boy he was looking for. Leaving the door to shut behind him he dismissed his disgust and moved to the bar, taking a seat next to the girl with the sword. The man smirked softly as he glanced at the sword, it appeared to be what he sought.
"Can I help you?" the girl asked in an annoyed voice. Her black eyes glared at the man as he studied her sword. She made no attempt to be subtle about turning in her chair so the sword and hilt were out of his reach.
"I was just admiring your sword, it is a beautiful piece of work."
"Not for sale," she murmured, taking a sip from her drink, but her eyes never left him.
The blond boy moved toward them, just standing close by but doing nothing more. The man glanced at the boy. "Yes, I am from the Tower." A slight incline of his head in greeting. "Master Treize at your service."
The glass Quatre had been holding slid out of his hand and shattered across the floor. Beside the man Hilde jumped to her feet, her hand ready on the hilt of her sword. She eyed him carefully, watching his every move as Quatre backed away from him. All around them the bar started to slowly empty, the patrons not being stupid. They knew when to leave, and now was definitely a good time. Soon only those three were left in the room, just watching each other, not daring to take their eyes away for a moment.
"If you're looking for Duo, he's not here," Quatre spoke softly, attempting to keep his voice steady.
Treize smirked lightly. "If my business were with the boy I would be speaking with him at the moment. However, it was my wish to meet you two. His apprentice and his warrior friend."
Hilde growled and tightened her grip on her sword. "What do you want?"
"Merely to see your sword and speak with you."
"The only thing you're going to see of my sword," Hilde hissed menacingly. "Is its point in your chest if you get any closer."
"That, I very much doubt, dear girl."
Quatre bit his lip. "So you want to talk, then talk. We're listening right now."
Treize shook his head lightly. "No, this is not the best place." With those words his hand moved quickly, reaching out and grasping Quatre's wrist. Quatre's eyes widened in surprise as a burst of silverish energy shot up his arm and his body turned numb. Before he was able to even make a sound of protest, his world turned to darkness and he crumbled to the ground.
"Quatre!" Hilde charged forward, drawing her sword and ready to strike the sorcerer, but he simply raised his hand and her sword hit an invisible barrier, and she was sent flying against the wall. Hilde shook away her dizziness and clutched her sword. As she forced herself to stand she watched Treize walk around the counter and gently pick up Quatre's limp body. Raising her sword she leveled it with the man's neck. "Put. Him. Down."
"Young lady, you are in no position to order me around. I hold the boy in my arms and with a mere thought I could kill him or worse. I believe if anyone will be giving orders it will be me." To add to his point he sent a small surge of energy into Quatre's body, causing the boy to cry out softly, though he was unconscious, the pain obvious on his face.
Hilde's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Leave him alone."
"Then accompany us, if you will."
Treize reached out one hand toward Hilde, in a non-threatening manner, beckoning for her to take it. Her eyes moved from the hand to Quatre, who was still being held in the man's other arm, so close to danger. Cursing softly she sheathed her sword back in her belt.
"Don't hurt him," she snarled.
"Of course not. As long as you two cooperate there is no need."
Hilde frowned deeply and reached forward, placing her hand in Treize's. As soon as their skin touched a strong wind tugged around them, and she felt like she was being thrown off the side of a cliff. Hilde felt her mind cloud and she fought to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. Her world drifted away, and her last thought was not to let go of her father's sword.
~*~
"Any luck?"
Duo glanced down from his perch atop the old wooden ladder to see the raven haired shop owner. He shook his head and closed the book in his lap, replacing it on the shelf between the other dusty books. Sighing he climbed down a few steps then jumped to the floor and brushed the dust from his shirt. Wufei offered him a steaming cup of tea, waiting patiently for his answer, Duo took is gratefully.
"You've got a lot of cool books, that's for sure, but none that will help me. Most of them are history tomes and not a single spell, not even hidden in code."
Wufei sipped his drink and nodded slowly, pausing only to push his loose hair back behind his ear. "As is to be expected. The Tower confiscates most magical tomes every year, it is a crime for any to keep them, much less put them on display."
Duo took another drink and sighed loudly. "Yeah, and then they toss them in a locked room in the Tower, not even the students are allow to see them." Setting the drink down he moved toward another set of shelves, but paused in mid-step, glancing back over his shoulder at the young scribe. "Did you say 'most'?"
The man simply raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
Duo spun around. "You have another book? A banned one?" He asked excitedly.
Wufei nodded slowly. "I do not know if it will help, but it could. Come this way."
Wufei led the sorcerer to a back room of the scribe shop, hidden behind a couple of old crates and a old rotting door. When Duo had first arrived neither had asked any questions, Wufei immediately acknowledging that the boy's amulet meant he didn't need to be asked questions. Only after watching him search the shelves for hours had he finally decided to mention the forbidden book he owned. He knew he was taking a chance, since if the Tower found out they would burn it and him, but this boy seemed sincere. Not to mention that he acted nothing like the other sorcerers Wufei had met in his time. This boy had honest intentions and a kind heart, his aura told Wufei so.
Stepping in the room and locking the door behind them, Wufei knelt down and pulled out an old wooden box lined covered with protective metal grating. Unfastening the locks he lifted an ancient leather bound book and handed it to Duo with steady hands. Duo frowned and dropped to sit on the floor, opening to the first page.
"A picture book?" He asked, immediately noticing that the book lacked words, and it was only a collection of ornately drawn pictures.
Wufei crouched down beside him, peering over his shoulder. Reaching forward he turned the page to the next picture. "You should know this one, then perhaps the value of this book will be made clear."
Duo frowned and concentrated on the picture before him. The ink was old and faded, killing most of the effect any color would have had. No matter though, he did recognize the scene. What student from the Tower of Fang wouldn't?
"It's Odin Lowe, the first of the Tower, fighting the last of the dragons."
Wufei nodded slowly. "This is a history book, a history of your school, told entirely in pictures, so that even those who do not know how to read can know the history. However it was banned many years ago, most copies were destroyed."
"Nice history lesson but I honestly don't see how this is going to..." Duo paused in his words and his throat grew dry as he turned to the next page. Before him lay a picture of a man dressed in warrior's armor, thick with fur and leather. Yet it wasn't the man who interested Duo, nor the dragon who was only a breath away from his face, what interested Duo was the sword in the man's hand. He knew that design and he recognized those runes. "No way!" he murmured.
"Something wrong?"
Duo closed the book and shoved it back into Wufei's hands. "I don't have time to explain, but don't let anyone know you have that book! I gotta get back to the inn!"
Without another word Duo raced out the door and down the street heading for the inn. In his mind he could clearly see that sword and he felt so stupid for not realizing it before! The sword in the old history book about the Tower of Fang was the same sword Hilde carried on her belt! That meant that Hilde and Quatre were in trouble, because if Treize or any of the other Masters discovered she had that sword... they'd been searching for it ever since the Tower was built and would do anything to get a hold of it!
Duo burst into the inn to find the place completely empty of life. Chairs and tables were overturned and a shattered glass covered the floor near the main bar. Duo swore and punched his fist into the nearest hard object, the top of a wooden table.
"Damn you Treize!"
He had realized and arrived too late.
TBC...
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